21. Zara's Magic Roadshow Tour

I agree with artist Trina Robbins that you have to have started drawing when you were very young to become good at it later on. But in order to be really fluid, you have to practice a lot and I believe the key is to draw day in and day out.

It's like a batting average at baseball, by doing this you can bring your stats up. Instead of doing one nice drawing out of every five to ten you try if you just draw once in a while, you can bring it up to two nice drawings out of every three if you draw every day.

I have written a lot of jokes for the Zanto comic strip in advance, and I remember that I sort of wrote myself in a corner and had trouble drawing this particular strip because I had stopped drawing for a few weeks.

To get it done, I sat down and put on a silent movie of you-know-who in the DVD player and did a few sketches from that, something I never do. The last drawing I drew of Zara (in the last panel) was a bit off, but it reminded me of Italian artist Guido Crepax, so I intentionally modified the word ballon to look like something Guido Crepax would have done. Guido Crepax' creation Valentina in the 1970s was based on the same silent screen actress that inspired Zara, so it is an homage.

The many monsters I have drawn for monsteraday.com have helped improve my drawing a lot, if only to get me to draw more regularly

20. Henry sees through Zara's ways

When Guy and I used to work in a copy store many years ago, we regularly helped a customer who brought in strange books about inframagnetism and pyramids that give you energy, and crystals. I swore to myself that one day I would take the time and read up on these enlightening subjects.

Instead, I wasted a lot of time programming computers instead.

When I think of the road not taken...

19. Introducing Henry the Guitarist, Zanto's Roommate

Henry is a suave and wise character.
I picture him as rather pale.
I was just thinking that I had never met a really good guitarist who also had a nice, healthy looking tan.

18. Return of Zara the Astrologer

I was just thinking how astrology seems to be a more exact science than the weather web site I consult.
Just yesterday, the web site told me it would rain in the evening. My astrologer told me something bad would happen if I went out that night.
So I left the house, bringing along a heavy raincoat to see an outdoor concert by the Black Eyed Peas.
It didn't rain but a girl emptied her drink on my back.

17. Eternal For Men is Great!

Marketing will get you every time.
Golly, no doubt the strongest mouthwash you'll ever try, Zanto!

16. No Message From Nina

I think it's very rare when you have a crush on someone that they have a crush on you at the same time.
I still remember waiting for the phone to ring.
And when it finally did ring, it was either Mom calling or brother Andrew who needed to complain about his boss and his job.

15. Peter Is A Catch

Nowadays, when you say a guy is an eligible bachelor, women wonder what is wrong with him.
Unless he is a neurosurgeon, that is.